“Is this okay?”
His face wrinkled. “Why wouldn’t it be okay?”
She shrugged, her fingers dancing along the top of his back. “I don’t know.”
Leaning his nose into hers, he closed his eyes. “It’s perfect.”
When she pressed her lips to his, his heart slammed into his chest as he kissed her back, holding her as close as he could. She felt damn good in his arms, and soon he was harder than the steel pipes he stood between most of his life. As her mouth moved with his, his body shook with need, but there was no way he was taking her right there in his parents’ pool. Even if he had paid for it, that was disrespectful. But man, he wanted her. Sliding his hands down her back, he cupped her butt as she pulled back, her dark eyes meeting his. “Well, great hand placement, Jenny.”
His lips quirked against hers. “I mean, you said I can get a closer look at this fine ass.”
She was trying not to smile as she ran her fingers up the back of his neck. “Are you saying I have a great ass?”
“The best I’ve ever seen, and that’s no damn lie.”
He fully expected her to ignore his comment. But instead, her grin grew as she pressed her lips into his top one. “Well, thank you.”
“You are very welcome,” he muttered against her lips, his hands sliding lower on her thick ass, squeezing her as his body shook. “You’re entirely too sexy in this bikini, by the way.”
Closing her eyes, her face broke as she giggled loudly. “Stop.”
“Never.”
“You’re making me blush!”
“Good, I love the color,” he said as their eyes stayed locked. “I love it all.”
Her lips pursed as she leaned into him, holding his neck tight, and just as she was going to kiss him, they heard his mother say, “I love newlyweds.”
But then his father added, “No hanky-panky in my pool!”
And with that, they were both falling over each other laughing.
He hadn’t felt more alive in his entire life.
“I can’t get over how beautiful you are, Wrenya.”
Wren looked up from where she was cutting up carrots and smiled. Jensen’s mom, Emma, couldn’t say her name right at all, but Wren wasn’t correcting her, and she wasn’t letting Jensen either. She found it endearing. But even she had to admit that everyone calling her beautiful, at every turn, was making her feel all kinds of ways. She wasn’t used to it. It wasn’t like her family told her she was beautiful all the time, but the Monroes never stopped reminding her. “Thanks, Emma.”
“Ma chou, Mum,” she said, patting Wren’s back as she walked behind her, getting some water. Wren had no clue what ma chou meant, but she was going with it. Since they had arrived in Jensen’s home country and then traveled the two hours from the airport to a rural part of Canada, Wren found Vaughn and Wells hadn’t been joking when they said Jensen was from the backwoods of Canada. The sheer number of moose she had seen in the matter of hours of being there was a little outstanding. And awesome. She loved every second. But she loved Emma Monroe and adored Jensen’s dad, Antoine, or Ant, as he insisted she call him, more than ever. When she had met them so long ago at Jensen, Vaughn, and Wells’s draft day, they hadn’t paid her much attention. But from the moment she’d stepped into the house, they’d both showered her with love, and she realized why Jensen was the way he was.
Because he was his parents’ world.
“Mum,” she repeated, and Emma beamed at her. “I’m done.”
“Good, good,” she said, taking the carrots and throwing them in the pot. “Potatoes next.”
Wren got to work, a little unsure of herself since she wasn’t much of a chef, not that she would tell Emma that. She’d already complained that Wren wasn’t feeding Jensen enough, and Wren wouldn’t dare tell her that Jensen was the one who usually got the food. Apparently, it was her job, and she would try to do that. Though, Jensen had already joked that he didn’t trust her cooking. A grin pulled at her lips as she looked back to where Jensen sat in the living room with his father, hanging out while the ladies worked in the kitchen.
He was lounging on the sofa as his father sat in the recliner, his legs up since Emma had just changed his bandages. The men looked like two peas in a pod, and Wren knew Jensen was beyond happy to be home. And so was she. Especially with Ant, he was funny, and she could see so much of Jensen in him. While she enjoyed and loved Emma—she was a good woman, very sweet—Wren couldn’t help but feel there was a little animosity toward her. She couldn’t blame Emma. Her son got married and was having a kid, and she only found out about it a month ago. She hadn’t mentioned it, nor brought it up, but Wren felt it coming.
“I bet you’re excited to see your mom next week. It’s been a while, yes?”
“Yeah, I am. It was before I got pregnant, and she keeps saying she’s ready to get her hands on my belly, whatever that means.”
Emma laughed. “I should tease her, tell her I got to go first.”
Wren met her with a smile. “Yeah, she wasn’t too pleased we came here first. She wants to see us. But this was planned first, and we’ll be there for almost two weeks with the wedding and all.”
“Yeah, she told me the same.” Emma looked up, a smile tugging at her weathered face. “It’s all a surprise, I’m sure. Especially with my Jensen. She probably didn’t expect that.”
Wren shrugged. “I don’t think anyone did, really.” She laughed then. “Especially us.”
She shouldn’t have said that. Emma’s brows pulled together. “So you didn’t have a crush on him before? He’s always had one for you, ma chou.”
Wren chewed on her top lip as she slid the knife along the potatoes. “I mean, I’ve always thought he was a very attractive man, but I never thought he had a crush on me. I didn’t find that out until after we—”
When she paused, Emma waggled her eyebrows. “Got it on? That’s what you call it, right?”
Wren sputtered with laughter as she choked on an inhale. “That.”
Emma nodded. “He is so damn quiet and shy, at least around you, he was. But he used to tell me that he was going to marry you.”
Wren’s mouth dropped open as a nervous laugh left her lips. “No!”
His face wrinkled. “Why wouldn’t it be okay?”
She shrugged, her fingers dancing along the top of his back. “I don’t know.”
Leaning his nose into hers, he closed his eyes. “It’s perfect.”
When she pressed her lips to his, his heart slammed into his chest as he kissed her back, holding her as close as he could. She felt damn good in his arms, and soon he was harder than the steel pipes he stood between most of his life. As her mouth moved with his, his body shook with need, but there was no way he was taking her right there in his parents’ pool. Even if he had paid for it, that was disrespectful. But man, he wanted her. Sliding his hands down her back, he cupped her butt as she pulled back, her dark eyes meeting his. “Well, great hand placement, Jenny.”
His lips quirked against hers. “I mean, you said I can get a closer look at this fine ass.”
She was trying not to smile as she ran her fingers up the back of his neck. “Are you saying I have a great ass?”
“The best I’ve ever seen, and that’s no damn lie.”
He fully expected her to ignore his comment. But instead, her grin grew as she pressed her lips into his top one. “Well, thank you.”
“You are very welcome,” he muttered against her lips, his hands sliding lower on her thick ass, squeezing her as his body shook. “You’re entirely too sexy in this bikini, by the way.”
Closing her eyes, her face broke as she giggled loudly. “Stop.”
“Never.”
“You’re making me blush!”
“Good, I love the color,” he said as their eyes stayed locked. “I love it all.”
Her lips pursed as she leaned into him, holding his neck tight, and just as she was going to kiss him, they heard his mother say, “I love newlyweds.”
But then his father added, “No hanky-panky in my pool!”
And with that, they were both falling over each other laughing.
He hadn’t felt more alive in his entire life.
“I can’t get over how beautiful you are, Wrenya.”
Wren looked up from where she was cutting up carrots and smiled. Jensen’s mom, Emma, couldn’t say her name right at all, but Wren wasn’t correcting her, and she wasn’t letting Jensen either. She found it endearing. But even she had to admit that everyone calling her beautiful, at every turn, was making her feel all kinds of ways. She wasn’t used to it. It wasn’t like her family told her she was beautiful all the time, but the Monroes never stopped reminding her. “Thanks, Emma.”
“Ma chou, Mum,” she said, patting Wren’s back as she walked behind her, getting some water. Wren had no clue what ma chou meant, but she was going with it. Since they had arrived in Jensen’s home country and then traveled the two hours from the airport to a rural part of Canada, Wren found Vaughn and Wells hadn’t been joking when they said Jensen was from the backwoods of Canada. The sheer number of moose she had seen in the matter of hours of being there was a little outstanding. And awesome. She loved every second. But she loved Emma Monroe and adored Jensen’s dad, Antoine, or Ant, as he insisted she call him, more than ever. When she had met them so long ago at Jensen, Vaughn, and Wells’s draft day, they hadn’t paid her much attention. But from the moment she’d stepped into the house, they’d both showered her with love, and she realized why Jensen was the way he was.
Because he was his parents’ world.
“Mum,” she repeated, and Emma beamed at her. “I’m done.”
“Good, good,” she said, taking the carrots and throwing them in the pot. “Potatoes next.”
Wren got to work, a little unsure of herself since she wasn’t much of a chef, not that she would tell Emma that. She’d already complained that Wren wasn’t feeding Jensen enough, and Wren wouldn’t dare tell her that Jensen was the one who usually got the food. Apparently, it was her job, and she would try to do that. Though, Jensen had already joked that he didn’t trust her cooking. A grin pulled at her lips as she looked back to where Jensen sat in the living room with his father, hanging out while the ladies worked in the kitchen.
He was lounging on the sofa as his father sat in the recliner, his legs up since Emma had just changed his bandages. The men looked like two peas in a pod, and Wren knew Jensen was beyond happy to be home. And so was she. Especially with Ant, he was funny, and she could see so much of Jensen in him. While she enjoyed and loved Emma—she was a good woman, very sweet—Wren couldn’t help but feel there was a little animosity toward her. She couldn’t blame Emma. Her son got married and was having a kid, and she only found out about it a month ago. She hadn’t mentioned it, nor brought it up, but Wren felt it coming.
“I bet you’re excited to see your mom next week. It’s been a while, yes?”
“Yeah, I am. It was before I got pregnant, and she keeps saying she’s ready to get her hands on my belly, whatever that means.”
Emma laughed. “I should tease her, tell her I got to go first.”
Wren met her with a smile. “Yeah, she wasn’t too pleased we came here first. She wants to see us. But this was planned first, and we’ll be there for almost two weeks with the wedding and all.”
“Yeah, she told me the same.” Emma looked up, a smile tugging at her weathered face. “It’s all a surprise, I’m sure. Especially with my Jensen. She probably didn’t expect that.”
Wren shrugged. “I don’t think anyone did, really.” She laughed then. “Especially us.”
She shouldn’t have said that. Emma’s brows pulled together. “So you didn’t have a crush on him before? He’s always had one for you, ma chou.”
Wren chewed on her top lip as she slid the knife along the potatoes. “I mean, I’ve always thought he was a very attractive man, but I never thought he had a crush on me. I didn’t find that out until after we—”
When she paused, Emma waggled her eyebrows. “Got it on? That’s what you call it, right?”
Wren sputtered with laughter as she choked on an inhale. “That.”
Emma nodded. “He is so damn quiet and shy, at least around you, he was. But he used to tell me that he was going to marry you.”
Wren’s mouth dropped open as a nervous laugh left her lips. “No!”
